Ash Gourd/Boodida Gummadikaya Pala Kootu

Dear Foodies,

Winter Melon, Ash Gourd, Boodida Gummadikaya (Telugu), Neer Poosanikai(Tamil) - different names for a gorgeous pumpkin like vegetable. Its usually cut up into wedges and sold at the Indian grocery store, & I usually use it in the avial recipe. That was the only recipe I used it in. But the last two times I decided it was time to try different recipes, because though I love avial, I don't make it that often. I made a delicious halwa once (coming soon here) and a warming paala kootu using my mother's recipe. The kootu style of preparing vegetables uses a combination of lentils &/or spices to make the dish hearty and warming - perfect for the winter. Instead of a mix of vegetables like in a stew, a kootu usually features one main vegetable and then uses lentils to substantiate the dish.

The only thing missing in my kootu this time was curry leaves. Curry leaves are one of those quintessential South Indian ingredients that have no substitute. They have a complex grassy, lemony flavor that cannot be found in other fresh herbs. The lady at a local Indian grocery store here told me that the plant is easily prone to infestations that spread to surrounding citrus plants. California being major citrus grower has placed an embargo on growing curry leaves here. So for now we are at the mercy of the grocery stores here, only one of them continues to stock it, and they charge 1.50$ for 4-5 sprigs :( We went to Artesia last week and found twice the amount being sold for 79c! arggh!

Sorakaya Paala Kootu/Bottle Gourd cooked in Milk

From Mom,

Ingredients:

• 1 nos - Bottle Gourd

• 1 cup - Milk

• 1 Tbsp - Sugar

• Salt to taste

For masala :

• 1 tsp - Black peppercorns

• 3 nos - Red Chillies

• 1 tsp - Rice

• 1 Tbsp - Urad Dal

• 1 small cup - Coconut

For seasoning:

• 1 tsp - Mustard seeds

• 1 tsp - Urad dal

• 1 sprig - Curry leaves

• 2 tsp - Oil

Procedure:

1. Cube the bottle gourd and boil till they turn soft in a mocrowave or in a vessel with enough water.
2. Roast all the masala ingredients in a little oil and set aside so they reach room temperature.
3. Cool and grind to a paste by adding sufficient water.
4. Now transfer the bottle gourd into a saucepan, add the paste, sugar, salt and water and allow to boil for about 5 mins.
5. Reduce the heat and add one cup of milk and let the curry simmer for 3mins allowing all the spices to blend well.
   
6. Transfer into a serving dish and season with mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves.
   

My Notes:

• The same cooking method can be used for Chayote squash(bangalore kathirikai/chow chow) and pumpkin.
• I made a slightly modified version of this kootu by adding ginger to the masala paste and adding some channa dal while boiling the bottle gaurd and skipped the milk too.

Chayote Squash

Bottle Gourd